California Restaurants

From the Mexican and Spanish cuisine from the south, to the Asian cooking in the north, and a heavy European influence throughout the rest of the state, California cooking is a fusion of cuisines of the many cultures that make up this state.

California cuisine was first originated by Alice Waters - founder of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley and author of several cookbooks - in the 70's and then popularized to the rest of the world by Wolfgang Puck through his high-profile celebrity catering parties.

Even though California cuisine is heavily influenced by French cooking, it opposes the French tradition of utilizing ingredients that are not in season. Due to its pleasant climate and an abundance of fertile lands, whatever your palate desires from produce to dairy to wine, California can produce it. Having access to such large variety of fresh ingredients all year long has given California Chefs the luxury to create a cuisine that heavily depend on fresh and locally-grown ingredients.

Most common ingredients used in California cuisine are avocado, citrus fruits, artichoke, mushrooms, almonds, garlic, sesame, ginger, tofu and curry. Most commonly used seafood is abalone, dungeness crab, squid and Pacific salmon. In the meat department, beef, turkey and chicken are used more often than lamb and pork.

In California cooking, most dishes are grilled over direct heat, steamed or blanched for a short period of time. Roasting, stewing or barbecueing food over a long period of time is not practiced. Sauces are simple and mostly combined with wine or stock. Butter and lard are rarely used. Instead, most dishes are prepared with olive oil.

Last but certainly not least, California cuisine dishes are served with strong attention to presentation.

Bon Appetit,
Robert Hedayat
President/CEO
MenuClub, Inc.